I'm a 47 year old writer, amateur photographer and amateur dad living in Winnipeg, MB, Canada.
So, Don...Donny....Donald J...the D-man. We've had quite the 4 years, haven't we? All I can say is, WHAT THE HELL WAS THAT???
When I was younger, I pretty much listened to country music exclusively. Believe me, being the only country music fan in a high school pumped up on AC/DC or Guns N' Roses was not an easy row to hoe. One gets teased mercilessly when one shows up at school in a Judds t-shirt. Oddly enough, based on my social media feeds, many of the kids at school who completely rejected country music have openly embraced it as they have gotten older.
I’ve pretty much had it with the absolute rigidity that exists in current social justice/leftist circles. The abandonment of liberalism by many on the left and the blind adherence to identity politics, intersectionality, and anti-fascism has become aggressive, unforgiving, and terribly toxic.
Winter. Some people love winter. Some of us, however, suffer through winter. Some of us cannot deal with winter. Some of us get terribly depressed when winter hits. I am one of those people. I often find that I cannot handle winter weather. I was born in a place where winter is harsh, and now live in a city where winter is even harsher. How did this happen?
So, how are you holding up? How are you feeling with this whole pandemic thing? You doing okay? Hey, if you aren't, you know what? That's okay. I mean, it's unfortunate and I feel for you, but, you aren't alone. And you have no reason to feel like your feelings on this don't matter. They do.
It's mid-November in Manitoba. After skyrocketing cases and hospital beds and ICU units filling up, the provincial government decided they had to do something. Sadly, that means lockdown. Again.
I haven't been on stage as a comedian in a few years now. And with Covid-19, it might be a little while more before I do give it a shot again. It's not that I am that funny. I'm not really. I mean, don't get me wrong, I try. Lord, do I try. But, a brilliant comedian I am not.
I didn't choose the bipolar life, the bipolar life chose me. The new, hip thing to do in order to destroy stigma around illnesses, particularly mental illness, is to say, "I am NOT my diagnosis." It's an understandable thing to do. People don't want to be defined by just one aspect of who they are. I get that. And I'm cool with that. I'm down with what the kids are into these days.